Religions have always been existing with history of human.
There are many conflicts caused by the differences of religions,
for example, the conflict in Bosnia in present. In the world,
religion is an inseparable part of people's identities. It is
very important and useful that we understand our religion for the
sake of being international society.
Compared with the world religious situation which people think
religions are important, we, Japanese, hardly think of religions
in daily life. We do not follow just one religion and observe
Buddhist, Christian and Shinto religious holidays, such as bon
[the Buddhist festival for honoring the spirits of ancestor],
Christmas, hatumoude [the year's first visit to shrine], and
so on. When people are asked which religion they believe, it is
also peculiar to Japanese that people answer "I don't
have religion". Such Japanese behaviors are seen strange for
foreign people who have specific religion, so Japanese religious
behaviors are often criticized. Then Japanese themselves are
ashamed Japanese religious behaviors, especially, when they go
abroad. I also experienced that I felt ashamed because I could
not answer what religion I believed when one of the Ethiopian
friends asked. On the contrary, there are some people who say
Japanese have recognized their religiousness well.
Seemingly, Japanese seem not to have the sense of
religiousness, and Japanese themselves do not awake to their
faith, but Japanese surely have the sense of religiousness.
Japanese became to hesitate to believe god strongly because of
the collapse of State Shinto. This research paper, then focuses
on the following four questions:
- What is the religious situation in Japan?
- What is Japanese sense of religiousness?
- Are Japanese really atheist?
- How does religion influence in Japanese culture?
1. What is the religious situation in
Japan?
According to Japanese religious statistics made by the Culture
Department of the Culture Agency, the sum of the believers are
217 million ten hundred thousand, but Japanese population is 120
million. Obviously, people are counted more than twice because
this sum is consists of the counting by each religious
organization (Kajimura, 1994). Kajimuira (1994) said that it was
not so curious that this phenomenon happened because there were
many people who celebrated shichi-go-san maturi [the
seven-five-three festival] (people wished their children's
health and happiness at shrine when the children became three,
five, seven years old) at shrine, got marriage at church, and had
a funeral in Buddhist rites. It seems that one person has many
religions.
Despite these statistics, there are many people who answer
that they have no religion when they are asked. According to
Kishi (1998), the number of people who answer they are atheist is
about sixty five percent. Moreover, people tend to hesitate to
display their religions and belief in Japan.
2. What is Japanese sense of
religiousness?
Japanese sense of religiousness is different from others'
like Christian and Muslim and consists of the mixture of several
kinds of religions. There are two types for religion in the
world, one is Natural Religion and the other is Universal
Religion. Natural Religion does not have the source of the
outbreaks, founder, scripture, or religious community, and it
sticks fast to the region. On the other hand, Universal Religion
have the source of the outbreaks, founder, scripture, or
religious community, and its aim is that people outgrow from
their suffering ( Kishi, 1998). The base is the Japanese native
religion of Shinto.
Shinto is Natural Religion. Shinto has many gods, and it finds
gods called yaorozu no kami [myriad of kami] at anything in the
world, for example, the sun, mountains, trees and rocks
(McFarland, 1999). There are both good gods and bad gods, and
human can also become god ("Anyone can become god, Japanese
feeling of religion", 1999). For example, Shoin Yoshida who
contributed to the Meiji Restraction is defied as a god at Shoin
Shrine in Yamaguti prefecture and Michizane Sugawara who was the
excellent scholar is deified at Kitano Shrine in Kyoto prefecture
(Sugita, 1999). In Shintoism, the relation between kami and human
is exemplified in the relation between parents and children
because of ancestor worship (Tamaru & Reid et al, 1996).
Ancestor worship means that people worship their ancestors, so
kami equal people's parents in essence. It is made up of not
contract, but also natural feeling of worship. It is possible to
worship many gods if people have the feeling of worship to them,
so Japanese can accept different gods from other countries
easily.
Japanese had accepted several religions even though the
religions had each characteristic and different from each other.
In the Asuka period, Buddhism, which had become in India came,
and in the Edo period, Christianity had come. Except such
religions, Confucianism and Taoism came from China. According to
Yamaori (1991), these religions are different from each other at
their teaching. Originally, Buddhism is not the kind of religion
that respects something. Buddhism is a thought to remove desire
caused suffering and achieve enlightenment, and everyone can
achieve enlightenment if he/she practices religious austerities.
And Christianity preaches that people should follow the example
of Christ, and people can be forgiven if they mend their ways.
Confucianism thinks morality, harmony, moderation, and filial
piety are important. Taoism is the Chinese native religion, and
it says that everything has both in [shadow] and yo [light]. It
means everything has two extreme sides.
Though such obvious differences exist between these religions,
according to Tamaru & Reid et al (1996), Shinto, Buddhism,
Christianity, new religions, and folk religions influence each
other and make harmony, and they shape Japanese culture together.
Japanese sense of religiousness consists of all of these
religions. The difference from other countries is that the base
of the people's mind is Shinto. Although the religions which
believe only one god came and influenced, the basic element of
the Japanese sense of religiousness?anything which is worthy of
respect can become god?has not changed.
Another point that should be mentioned is, Nevis,(1998) said,
that Japanese religion is not symbolized by prayer like Muslim
does, people just practice religious behaviors in their daily
lives. In Japan, religion is not separated from life. It makes
Japanese people seem not to have religion to foreigner, and even
to Japanese people themselves. People use many religious teaching
according to their need (Meranberge, 1998).
3. Are Japanese really
atheist?
The answer is no, because there are many religious functions
in Japan, for example, shichi-go-san matsuri[the seven-five-three
festival]. Shichi-go-san maturi is the festival which people
appreciate to the god who behold the children's growth (Noma,
1991). Originally, maturi is the event which people treat gods
and interact with gods (Sugita, 1999). But maybe all people do
not associate these events with religion. That is one reason why
Japanese people think they are atheists.
Japanese people think they are atheists compared with
Christianity, Islam, which have the strong impacts as religion.
And they think "religion" is like Christianity and
Islam. The big feature of Christianity and Islam is that they
have only one god and the relation between god and human beings
consists of a close connection with god by contract. Human
worship and obedience god for blessing, and if human break the
contract?try to believe another god?, god takes the blessing away
from human (Kobori, 1998). Seen from this view of religiousness,
Japanese are not to religious, but Christianity or Islam is only
one type of religion. Japanese need to consider whether they are
atheist or not by their own criterion.
Although, Japanese religious practice is different from that
of Christianity and Islam, which have only one god, Japanese
people certainly are religious. Kobori (1998) said, "The
base of Japanese sense of religiousness is the worship to
ancestors. And this kinds of the racial sense of religiousness
are not documented, so people are not conscious of their sense of
religiousness." Japanese people just do not recognize their
belief.
In addition to that, there is a distrust of religion: In the
early of nineteenth century, Japanese people were forced to
believe one god. That was "imperial cult" called State
Shinto. State Shinto monopolized Japan's spiritual for about
twenty years before it was suddenly forbidden as "dangerous
militaristic propaganda" because of the end of World War
two. It was the first time in human history that God had to
announce his death. That is why some Japanese are permanently
cynical, and they became to hesitate to believe any god strongly
(Buruma, I. April 3, 1995. Lost Without A Faith. Time, 145,
30).
4. How does religion influence in Japanese
culture?
There are many things influenced by religion in Japan. The
religion means not only Shinto but also mixture of many kinds of
religions, which came to Japan. Reserve is often taken notice of
as Japanese specific culture by foreign people, it is also
influenced by religions (Nevis, 1996). Nevis, observes that
reserve is thought negative in western countries because it
thought good to get success personally with strong opinion, but
in Japan, people understand personal success is same meaning of
success of society. People think group harmony is more important
than individuals. This way of thinking comes from especially
Buddhism.
Another example is tatemae [one's official stance]. Nevis,
(1996) also referred to tatemae. He said both Buddhism and Taoism
influenced this thinking. One is harmony from Buddhism. Another
is ura to omote [back and surface] from Taoism. If people say
everything they feel, the harmony may be broken up, so they keep
their tongue on the surface and play artful. This Japanese way of
thinking, tatemae, can be seen many Japanese culture, not only
daily life but traditional Japanese poetry, haiku, tanka, and so
on. The characteristic of them is that the numbers of words are
limited, so the author does not show all things which he/her
wants to say on the surface. People who read it have to read what
the author wants to say at the back of the limited words. Haiku
and tanka have ura to omote.
In conclusion, Japanese people do have sense of religiousness,
but it is different from other major religions, such as
Christianity and Islam. People identify anything as god if it can
be respected, even human beings. And the relation between god and
human beings is not contractual, prayer is not always thought
important, but people practice religious behaviors unconsciously
in their daily lives. Though it is said Japanese people do not
have a sense of religiousness, it can be said Japanese culture,
especially Japanese people's inner space, is influenced by
religions.
by Ruiko Kameyama
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